Injuries in reality show ‘Squid Game’: participants demand compensation

The first five of the ten episodes of the reality show ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ have been available on Netflix since November 22. The show was produced based on the South Korean surprise hit Squid Game.

Just like the hit series, a total of 456 participants have to play different games and survive. The last person standing wins a cash prize. More specifically: $4.56 million. The largest amount ever paid out on a reality show.

Unlike the South Korean series, the eliminated participants in the reality show obviously don’t die, but the production still exceeded the physical limits of some players. Two unnamed participants have now taken legal action to claim compensation for the injuries they suffered. The injuries described include hypothermia – as hypothermia is called in medical jargon – and unspecified nerve damage. The cold would have turned the hands of an unknown candidate purple.

The British law firm Express Solicitors, specialized in personal injury cases, was instructed to represent the interests of those affected. Commenting on the case, Daniel Slade, CEO of Legal at Express Solicitors, said: “We have brought compensation claims on behalf of the injured participants. From the information we have, safety limits have been crossed in the name of entertainment. Production companies must ensure that health and safety standards in their shows do not pose a risk to people.”

“Red light, green light”

The injuries probably stem entirely from the first game “Red Light, Green Light”. The aim of the game is to conquer an area and get to a large doll. However, you can only move if the doll cannot see you. If you still move, you will be ‘shot’, or a prepared pack of paint will burst into the participants’ clothes.

Already during the recordings in January, “The Sun” reported about extreme filming conditions. The scenes for “Red Light, Green Light” are said to have been shot at -3 degrees Celsius in an old British air base. Participants also told the ‘Sun’ that the filming felt like a theater of war. Apparently several players were taken away on stretchers. Due to the enormous prize money, some people exceeded their physical limits and caused injuries.